SORROW WOODS, page 31
single day for the last fourteen years? “No.”
She slams her fist down on the table, making me and the cutlery jump. “They’ve
brainwashed you, haven’t they?”
“What? No, of course they haven’t.”
She leans back in her chair and folds her arms across her chest. “That’s bullshit. If they
haven’t messed with your brain, then you’d be coming with your Mother right now, no questions
asked.”
Something has changed. She’s changed. I can feel a tension between us that’s never been
there before.
Why is she swearing and saying things in a nasty voice? That’s not her. That’s not how I
remember my Mother.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
I sit and wait for her to say something back to me, but she doesn’t. Instead, she picks up her
knife and fork and finishes the rest of her food without speaking a single word to me.
After the waitress clears our plates away, my Mother stands and nods towards the beach.
“Let’s walk. Just you and me.”
I take a deep breath and follow her over the sands. We walk along the path until we come to
the bushes and palm trees that begin to line the long, winding coastal road. “I’ve got some of your things,” she sighs.
I step over the little stones that line the path and walk across the concrete that’s sweating in
the heat. “You brought my things from the woods?”
She nods. “I thought you might want them if you decided that you didn’t want to come with
me.”
I think about the things I had in the woods and remember that I didn’t actually have much. I
can’t imagine what she’s brought with her. “Okay.”
The sun is so hot today that within minutes of walking, I’m sweating. I think about Kaiden
and wonder if he’s woken up with a hangover like my Mother presumed I had. He was really drunk
last night. I know I’m not an expert at judging the amount of alcohol that people have consumed,
but from what I saw last night, he was wobbling and slurring his words a lot more than the other
people at the party.
“Where did you see Kaiden, anyway?” I ask.
“What?”
“You said you saw Kaiden last night. Where did you see him?” I stop next to her and stare at
her half-covered face.
“Oh, that idiot. I saw him on the beach,” she says dismissively.
“What was he doing on the beach?”
She shrugs. “How should I know? That boy’s a wrong ‘un. He could have been up to anything
for all I know.”
“Why did you talk to him?” I persist.
“Why not?”
“You’re hiding your face. If you’d have spoken to him about me, then he wouldn’t have
known who you were.”
“Don’t question your elders, Serena. It’s rude and annoying.”
“Did you see him before or after you saw me last night?”
“Why does it matter?” she asks impatiently.
I shrug. “I’m just wondering.” I want to know if he’d already spoken to my Mother and told
her that he didn’t want me before he came to my room. If he did, why did he tell her he didn’t like me and then kiss me? If he didn’t, then why was he even on the beach? Why had he left my balcony, and why was he saying he didn’t like me if he’d just kissed me?
“I can’t remember.”
“You can’t remember?” I repeat at her. Something doesn’t feel right. It feels like she’s
nervous. She stopped walking when I first asked her about him and she hasn’t moved a single muscle since.
“No,” she snaps, “I can’t remember, and after what that boy did to me, I don’t especially
want to talk about him. So just shut up, will you?”
I blanch. What has gotten into her? Why is she speaking to me like that?
“I like him,” I admit. “He’s been nice to me.”
She huffs and starts walking again. “He stole you from me, Serena.”
I think about the night the police came to our house and the look on Kaiden’s face. “I don’t
think he thought of it like that.”
“I don’t care what he thought he was doing. He’s the reason we are no longer living
together. He destroyed us.”
“What about Elodie?” I ask.
She frowns at me. “What about her?”
“Are you going to try and get her back too?”
“No.”
“Why not?” I ask, trying to figure out why she thinks that it’s okay for us to just leave Elodie.
“If you think our family should be like it was, then isn’t Elodie a part of that?”
“It’s too difficult to get her back. We will just have to accept that our family has gone from
three to two.”
She’s still talking as if I’m going to go with her. Before I can ask any more questions, she
gently pushes me towards a small parking lot where two empty cars sit. She strides towards a small black car.
“Here,” she says, opening the trunk, “your things.”
I take a deep breath and step up to the car. When I lean down and look into the trunk, I see
nothing. I blink and look back up at her. “There’s nothing in there.”
She clicks her tongue and shakes her head. “Get in.”
My head swivels quickly around to her. “What?”
She nods towards the trunk again. “Get in, Serena.”
I furiously shake my head. “No.” I start to back away from her. “I’m not going with you,
Mother. I already told you that.”
“Serena, get in the car. Now!”
“No.” I’m worried now. Why is she so adamant that I go with her? Why did she make it seem
like it was okay for me to decide to not go with her, and then suddenly change her mind on me like that?
She half-growls and half-moans as she pulls me roughly towards her with my arm. Her finger
nails pinch my skin together, making me tug and pull away from her. “Get off, Mother. What’s wrong with you?”
“You are not doing what you’ve been told. I know it’s not your fault and it’s because they’ve
got into your head, but you’re making my life very complicated right now.”
“Let me go. Please.” I try to pull my arm away from her, but she’s got a really good grip. I
hate the way her voice sounds. I hate that she’s telling me to do something that I don’t want to do.
Should I scream? If I scream, then someone might hear, or it might frighten her enough to let me go.
The woman that’s trying to make me do something that I don’t want to do is not the woman I’ve
grown up with.
“This is your last chance to do as you’re told, Serena.”
My last chance? What does she mean, my last chance? I thought I had a choice. “I’m not
going anywhere with you. This is my home now and I wanna stay here. Why aren’t you listening?”
“Serena,” she warns.
I shake my head. “I don’t wanna go with you.” I snatch my arm away from her. “You’re not
my real Mother.”
She gasps.
“I’m sorry,” I say, “but you’re not.”
She huffs. “I didn’t want to do this, but you’ve left me with no choice.”
I blink up at her, wondering what she’s talking about now. “You didn’t want to do what?”
“This,” she says, striding towards me with her hand in the air.
Kaiden
I blink my eyes open and immediately register the pain in my head. Everything looks a little fuzzy as I blink again and try to force my eyes to focus on something. At first I think I’m blind, but quickly realise with relief that it’s just dark. I reach out and feel metal, and I think I’m in some sort of container.
“Hello?” I call out. “Is anyone there?”
I feel like I’ve been run over by a big truck. My head is banging, my arms feel like lead, and I
can’t even feel my feet. Not feeling my feet makes me immediately worry about my spine. Has she
broken my back? Am I paralysed? I can hear my ragged breaths echoing off the metal walls. The
sound of my panicked breathing makes all the hairs on my neck and arms stand on end. I don’t think I’ve ever really been scared in my whole life, but right now I feel terrified, and it’s not because I’m injured or because I don’t know where I am. It’s because I don’t know what’s happened to Serena.
Her Mother, or whoever she is, told me she was going to take her and I didn’t stop her.
The fear of her being taken again and me not being able to do anything about it sends shots
of anger through my body. I kick, scream, and shout as I bang my heavy arms onto the metal, trying to ignore the pain that splinters and shoots through my body.
“Help!” I call, “Hello? Is anyone there?”
I bang some more, feeling the trickle of blood down my face. I don’t know how long I’ve
been out cold, but judging by the size of the egg on my head, I’m guessing it might have been a few hours. That woman could be miles away by now. I might have already lost her.
A pain fires up the back of my leg and zooms up my spine. A tingling, hot feeling covers my
head from the base of my skull and flies right over the top, until it forces sweat to drip down my forehead. I feel my eyes rolling towards the top of my head and then it’s black again.
I see Serena’s face. I see her green eyes and how they twinkle when she smiles. I think about
how easy her life used to be and how she could do whatever she wanted all day, and how different
her life is now. Her Mother, or whatever she is, won’t be as stupid this time. If she’s taken her, then she’ll make sure that she’s never found again. I can feel it in my heart. I can feel how much I already miss her.
When I open my eyes again, it feels warmer. I shuffle around until I’m finally sitting up. I close my eyes and ignore the pain that thunders through my body. When I look around, I suddenly realise that I’m inside an industrial trash can. I tilt my head and sure enough, there’s a black plastic lid. I grit my teeth and push myself to standing until I feel my hands touching the lid. I have to stop and take a few deep breaths to steady myself. I’ve never felt so ill in all my life. I’ve gone seven rounds in the ring before and haven’t felt this bad.
It worries me that I can’t see my injuries. Once my heart stops hammering in my chest and my
eyes stop rolling about in my head, I slowly lift my arm, ignoring the pain in my shoulder and push the lid. It opens just a fraction, letting a sliver of light in but then it bounces back down. I don’t even have the strength to lift a trash lid. I’m pathetic. I curl my hand into a fist and think about the bitch that beat me up like I was a little boy and hear a deep growl erupt from my throat. I suck in a breath and slam my fist into the lid above me.
Within seconds, I’m surrounded by salty, swirling air that sticks and clings to my sweaty skin. I stagger and collapse against the back of the bin, making metallic noises echo out all around me. I look down at my feet and thank God that the bin is empty of trash. I let my eyes trail up my
bloodied, ripped trousers and over my shredded shirt, staring at the patches of dried, dark red
blood. I try to focus my mind on the fact that I need to get to the Scott’s, instead of concentrating on how much I’m hurting right now.
I will not be beaten by anyone, especially not a wicked witch. When I look out of the trash can,
I see a boat floating across the calm sea in the distance and realise that I’m on the beach near the diner. I curl my fingers over the edge of the bin and jump over the side.
The force of the impact makes my knees feel like they’re going to vibrate right off, but I
ignore it and start to hobble towards Serena’s house. It’s still early. Maybe she hasn’t gone
anywhere yet. Maybe she’s still asleep in her bed.
I lower my head and jog with a limp towards their house that towers over the beach. I loop
around the side, past the fence and the deep green bushes that hang over the edge, until I get to the end of their wall. I pull on the fattest branch that I can find and pull it down so I can climb up it. Once I’m half-way up the branch, I lift my feet off the ground until my spine bends and my feet land on the wall. I can’t imagine how ridiculous I must look as I shuffle and slump over the wall, but I don’t care.
As soon as my feet hit the Scott’s perfectly mowed lawn, I tear across it and run straight through the double doors and into the kitchen.
I hear Angela scream before my eyes finally locate her standing at the refrigerator.
“Serena?” I puff.
Angela pulls her silk dressing gown around her and frowns at me. “She’s sleeping. What’s
happened to you? Have you been fighting again?”
I can’t stop myself from staring at the orange juice that she’s holding. I didn’t realise how
thirsty I was until I saw the orange juice slipping and sliding down the glass jug. I swallow hard and look up at her, shaking my head. “Serena,” I pant, “where is she?”
Angela blinks at me. “She’s still sleeping.”
I shake my head at the same time that Auden barges into the room, half naked with
toothpaste all over his chin. “What the hell?” he roars. “I heard a scream.”
Angela nods towards me. “It was me. It was him.”
I can’t be doing this. I don’t have time. I pull myself along the kitchen counter until I start to stagger out of the kitchen. “And where are you going?”
My eyes snap onto Auden and I watch the colour drain from his face.
“Serena,” I huff. “She’s gone.”
He spins on his heels and runs up the stairs two at a time. I’m too tired to keep up with him,
but I follow as quickly as I can. I hear the doors bang against the wall and then I hear him groan. I feel sick. Everything that’s happened over the past few weeks whirls through my head. When I finally make it to her room, Auden is already on the telephone, pacing up and down her carpet.
I stare at her perfectly-made bed. She was in bed last night, so the fact that it’s made must
mean that Serena has woken up and made it herself. Maybe her Mother hasn’t taken her. Maybe
she just woke up early and went for a walk or something.
Angela barges into the bedroom and grabs me around my shoulders. Her big, scared eyes
start to blur as she shakes me. “What’s happened to her? How did you know she wouldn’t be here?”
With every shake, my muscles and bones groan inside me. I know she’s not trying to hurt me
on purpose, but she’s really making me feel sick.
“Angela,” snaps Auden when he puts the phone down, “he’s already hurt.” He nods towards
me. “Let him go.”
She stops for a moment as tears start to stream down her face. She blinks at me and slowly
removes her hands. “I’m sorry,” she whispers.
“No…I’m sorry.”
“The police are on their way.” Auden turns towards me as he slumps down onto the bed,
looking up at me through watery eyes. “Tell us everything you know, Kaiden.”
As I walk into my house, I hear my Mom moaning about the massive mess. I’d completely forgotten
that I had a party last night.
“Hey,” I sigh. I walk into the kitchen and notice my Mother at the cooker. The smell of bacon
and eggs fills my nostrils. Zak turns the page of his newspaper that he’s reading and glances up at me. The second he sees my face, his mouth drops open.
“Kaiden Matthews,” huffs my Mother. She doesn’t even bother to turn around. “I don’t want
to know where you’ve been, but you had better get this house cleaned up before your Father comes
back.”
“I’ll clean the house,” offers Zak.
At the offer of help, my Mother spins around. When her eyes fall onto me, she throws the
spatula down and rushes over to me. “Oh my God. What happened?”
She brushes her hands over my face and glances nervously at Zak.
“Have you been fighting again?” she asks.
My voice catches in my throat. How am I supposed to tell her that the girl I love is missing? I
shake my head. I notice her eyes scanning all over me, stopping on the dark patch of blood on my
shirt.
“Put the news on,” I say.
She frowns at me and slowly lifts my shirt before she gasps. “You need to go to a hospital.
